Previn and the Pittsburgh - Season 2

First aired: 3/26/1978 8 episodes

Episodes

1. The Music That Made the Movies

Aired: 3/26/1978

Composer John Williams, who wrote the music for Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Star Wars, joins for performances of Star Wars Suite and music from Adventures of Robin Hood, Henry V, and The Blue Max.

2. A Feast of Walton

Aired: 4/2/1978

Composer Sir William Walton is honored with a performance of his oratorio "Belshazzar's Feast", which includes baritone John Shirley-Quirk, the Penn State University Chorus, and the Pittsburgh Symphony.

3. An Evening with Comden and Green

Aired: 4/9/1978

The musical comedy team of Betty Comden and Adolph Green join for reminiscences of their movie musical days in Hollywood. Classic material includes Bells Are Ringing, On The Town, and Singin' In The Rain.

4. Two Concerti

Aired: 4/16/1978

With principal pianist Patricia Prattis Jennings of the Pittsburgh Symphony, Previn performs Mozart's "Concerto for Two Pianos in E-Flat". The orchestra is joined by Korean violinist Kyung Wha Chung for the violin concerto of Sir William Walton.

5. A Gathering of Players

Aired: 4/23/1978

Isaac Stern, Pinchas Zukerman, and Nathaniel Rosen, principal cellist for the Pittsburgh Symphony, join Previn in an informal setting for some chat and music-making, including Mozart's G-Minor quartet for piano, violin, viola, and cello.

6. Alpine

Aired: 4/30/1978

Previn conducts the Pittsburgh Symphony in a performance of Richard Strauss' Alpine Symphony, then examines some of Strauss' musical themes and discusses their use in a lecture-demonstration at the piano.

7. Dame Janet Baker

Aired: 5/7/1978

Dame Janet discusses her artistic career with Previn, who accompanies her in a performance of the song cycle she commissioned him to write.

8. Brahms' Requiem

Aired: 5/14/1978

The 70-minute-long requiem features the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh, soprano Barbara Hendricks, and baritone Ryan Edwards. An informal talk by Previn, revealing his deepest feelings on the piece, follows in this expanded 90-minute season finale.